New children's book aims to attract future healthcare workers

More than a million new nurses needed by 2016

November 24, 2008

Bloomington, Minn. - HealthPartners Coon Rapids Clinic will host a book launch Dec. 2 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for a new children's book entitled "Nursing is Not Just Giving a Shot." The book launch is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served. The clinic is located at 11475 Robinson Dr NW in Coon Rapids.

"Nursing is Not Just Giving a Shot." was written by Dr. Vivian Rider, a HealthPartners physician, with input from a focus group of her young patients. The book was illustrated by Stephen Richardson, an illustrator and floor director at WCCO-TV.

"Nursing is Not Just Giving a Shot" is designed to highlight the variety of roles that nurses play in the healthcare system," said Liz Swanson, HealthPartners vice president of human resources. "We know that children often rule out careers in healthcare at an early age so our goal was to develop a fun children's book to highlight the variety of roles that nurses have in our system to catch children's attention at an early age."

According to projections from the federal bureau of Labor Statistics the U.S. will require more than one million new and replacement nurses by 2016.

HealthPartners is making the book available in its clinic waiting areas and is teaming up with the Junior League of Minneapolis' Books 4 Kids project to distribute 200 copies of the book to economically disadvantaged children.

"At HealthPartners we know that early childhood literacy is a key to reducing socioeconomic disparities," said Swanson. "We've learned through our involvement in the Itasca Project that even small interventions can make a big difference." The Itasca Project is an employer-led alliance drawn together by an interest in new and better ways to address regional issues that impact the future economic competitiveness and quality of life of the Twin Cities.

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About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serves more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit healthcare organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007".

About Junior League of Minneapolis
The Junior League of Minneapolis (JLM) is a non-profit organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Established in 1923, the JLM continues to develop projects to fill needs within the Minneapolis community. Past projects include founding the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, restoring the John H. Stevens house, managing The Clothes Line resale store and bringing the innovative 'Girl Culture' exhibit to Minneapolis. The Junior League of Minneapolis reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism.

Contact: 952-883-5223 (office)
612-201-4511 (cell)